A trio of auteurs are being considered to direct Catching Fire. Robert Downey, Jr. starts a crazy Avengers rumor. Sin City 2 might really be happening. Plus a pair of Game of Thrones actors take you deep inside their characters.

It's spoilers all the way down!

Top image from The Avengers.

The Dark Knight Rises

Here are some promo photos from Entertainment Weekly's summer preview issue to accompany the recently released cover. We get a nice look at Tom Hardy's Bane wreaking havoc in a financial setting, Bruce Wayne's evolving taste in bathrobes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt being a cop in that effortlessly awesome way of his, and Anne Hathaway's Catwoman living up to the reason why she's called Catwoman in the first place by actually doing some cat burgling. [Batman-News]

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The Avengers

Here's a new featurette in which Joss Whedon and the cast discusses the team's sometimes tense interrelationships. You can also watch another cast interview video here. [IGN]

It's unusual for a crazy rumor to come from one of the film's main actors, but then, this story involves Robert Downey, Jr. The Iron Man actor claimed at last night's premiere that the cast will actually be shooting one more scene, despite the fact that, you know, the movie premiered last night. Just assuming for a split-second that Downey, Jr. wasn't just messing with reporters — which he almost certainly was — this could be some sort of top-secret post-credits scene that needs to be shot at the last minute or else people might find out about it... which is why Downey, Jr. mentioned it last night's premiere? So yeah, this is pretty obviously a red herring, I'd say, and both Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and director Joss Whedon have already denied it. [/Film]

Scarlett Johansson discusses both the physical and mental challenges of playing Black Widow:

"I think just kind of going back day after day, knowing that you're going to get the crap kicked out of you and you do it willingly is sort of a challenge in itself, a mental challenge. But also I have to say that every time you fail at a stunt, it hurts until you get it right... She's really the first female superhero. [My character is] not different than she was in the comics. There's a huge rich background for me to kind of pick from and play with and layer. Joss [Whedon] and I were very conscious, very aware that she had this huge following. And why is that? Because she's this very multi-dimensional, enigmatic character to play."

For the record, no, Black Widow obviously isn't even close to being the first female superhero. I guess you could argue she's the first female superhero to get this much screentime in a movie — assuming you just kind of ignore the existence of the X-Men movies — but I'd just chalk this all up to Johansson not being an expert on comics and simply wanting to impress upon us how seriously she's taking the character and the role. [Heat Vision]

Here's twenty minutes of behind the scenes footage split across four videos. [/Film]

Catching Fire

It seems Lionsgate isn't messing around in its quest to find a replacement for Hunger Games director Gary Ross, at least if this initial shortlist is to believed. (Which it might not be - grains of salt at the ready, people.) There are supposedly seven to eight names on the list, reportedly all well-established male directors, although only three directors have been explicitly connected to the job. Of these three, the most logical choice is probably that of Children of Men director Alfonso Cuarón, who previously had tremendous success taking over a franchise with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. There's also Alejandro González Iñárritu, who is known for his bleak but sprawling explorations of the human condition in movies like 21 Grams, Babel, and my personal favorite Amores Perros. Finally, the wild card here has to be David Cronenberg, who has turned down several offers to direct big-budget blockbusters but has had some mainstream success in recent years with the likes of A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. All three are pretty fascinating choices, and I'd say any of them could end up being a terrific director for Catching Fire. Here's hoping the other four to five names on the list are equally out there - personally, I'm still kinda hoping for Paul Verhoeven to bring a little of his Starship Troopers and Robocop style batshit magic to the franchise. [24 Frames]

Lock-Out

Fargo and The Big Lebowski actor Peter Stormare discusses why he enjoyed playing the movie's apparent antagonist, the enigmatic Secret Service head Langral:

"It was a nice role, it was a beautiful script to get in your hands. I'm not trashing the Hollywood action formula, but sometimes it becomes one person - and maybe a female lead - but usually it's one guy all the time and the rest of the cast are shoot-‘em-ups! This is old filmmaking for me, where you build a film with characters - you don't have just one guy running around. [Langral is] eluding me all the time. What is he up to? Is he a bad guy? What side is he on? You never find out."

Lost alum Maggie Grace also discusses the movie and compares her part as the President's daughter Emilie to her role in Taken:

"It's unabashed and unapologetically a fun ride. It's a sci-fi adventure, but with these sharp one-liners and this throwback archetype of a hero who's funny and got some edge, and you don't know whether to smack him or kiss him. I think [producer] Luc [Besson] certainly has a way with the action genre, he has a sixth sense for it, and I'm happy this character's a bit more empowered than [Taken's] Kim. I still think we're finding our balance in how we communicate gender roles, that you can still be feminine and kick some butt."

Skyfall

Star Daniel Craig confirms the recent suggestions that director Sam Mendes's James Bond movie will evoke classic entries in the series, and he credits that to the work of the movie's cinematographer, frequent Coen Brothers collaborator Roger Deakins:

"Visually we're in very safe hands because Roger Deakins is shooting this movie, which is just phenomenal. It has a classic feel to it. I won't lie to you: we've tried to sort of bring some of the feelings of older Bond movies into this film - but this is a modern movie."

Speaking of Coen Brothers collaborators, No Country For Old Men's Javier Bardem cryptically discusses his role as the villainous Silva:

"It's great ground on which to play a character like this. And you have a frame. There are certain rules in Bond movies, no? It is very challenging to be part of the frame of the James Bond movie, and also being able to bring your own thing to it."

He also more or less confirms that, like Bardem himself, Silva is Spanish, observing, "He is kind of from over there, yeah - he is not from Oklahoma, I can tell you!" [Empire Online]

Lore

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is reportedly attached to star in this adaptation of the IDW Comic series that's described as "Men in Black with mythological creatures." Warner Bros. is reportedly in the final stages of acquiring Cory Goodman and Jeremy Lott's screenplay. Here's a description of the original comics premise:

In times past, the world was full of mythical creatures long since held at bay by the secret society of Shepherds. But when the Shepherds' line of succession is broken, a reluctant hero finds her life threatened from every quarter. And the creatures are coming back: will the Earth be ready for their return?

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

I still don't really believe this is happening, but Dimension Films has officially announced that Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller are really, actually, honestly going ahead with a sequel to 2005's Sin City. They will again co-direct, and Miller co-wrote the script with The Departed's William Monahan. There are no details on script or cast in the announcement, though here's a pair of quotes from Rodriguez and Miller:

Rodriguez: The first question I am always asked is "When will you make another Sin City? I have wanted to re-team with Frank Miller and return to the world he created since the day we wrapped the original, but have felt a duty to the fans to wait until we had something truly exceptional that would meet and exceed what have become epic expectations. A Dame To Kill For will certainly be worth the wait.Miller: The first Sin City knocked out audiences who had never seen anything like it before. Robert Rodriguez and I are going to shake things up and deliver a ferocious film experience that is going to go even further than the first.

I usually only say this when we're talking about rumors and not official announcements, but on this one occasion...I'd still take all this with a grain of salt. [Coming Soon]

Carrie

Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Peirce's new adaptation of the Stephen King story, which stars Hugo and Let Me In's Chloe Moretz in the title role, has set a release date of March 15, 2013. [Shock Till You Drop]

Doctor Who

Here's a ton of new set videos from the current filming in New York City. This is for episode five, which doubles as the Amy and Rory's departure and the return of River Song and the Weeping Angels. [Life, Doctor Who, and Combom]

Here are some more set photos from the filming in Central Park, which are much along the same lines as what we've seen previously. [Life, Doctor Who,and Combom]

Game of Thrones

Robb Stark actor Richard Madden discusses his upcoming meeting with Jeyne Westerling, revealing that the character apparently will have a different name:

Oh, yes. Although, that's not her name in the show now. They've changed it, but Oona [Chaplin] is just fantastic. I'm so glad it was her that was cast in this part because we have such great chemistry. I've watched a couple of scenes back, and there's just something about when Oona and I get together that works really well on screen, so hopefully people will agree.

That's what's so interesting about the relationship between Robb and Jeyne because you do see genuine feelings there.
That's what is so good about it. There is so much sex in the show, and it's really easy and sometimes, it just happens, or there's lots of women and one man [laughs] or whatever! But with Robb and this woman that's come into his life, I think that Robb's not really experienced in that way, and anything that happens between them comes out of their true feelings for one another. It's not just sex. It's not easy for anyone in Robb's position. This is the first time that he's ever had proper feelings for a woman, so as their relationship develops, things come from a really heartfelt place.

He also discusses just what Robb wants from this war:

He wants to go home. He wants to have his family, bring them home and do what he is supposed to do, which is be Lord of Winterfell. But it's a responsibility that he's happy to take. There's this fantastic speech later on in the show where he talks about what that means to him. What I love is that even though that's what he wants to do, he can't because there are other factors playing, and he's not selfish in any way. For someone so young, he's such a man, especially in this season. He makes a lot of tough decisions, and he's acting like a man. But sometimes, the mask can drop and you're like, "My god, he's just a boy, acting like a man." This whole season, he's leaning by doing. Everything is a new experience — a first time — for Robb.

Right now, he's making some good decisions. He has Jaime right where he wants him, and now Catelyn is off talking to Renly.
Yeah, and he's won every battle. He's got a lot of power at the moment. I like that you've got power rankings. It's great. What's so good about it, though, is that I don't think Robb sees it like that. He's in that scene with Jaime in the cage, almost posturing this sort of arrogance and confidence, which he needs to, but he knows that this situation is unpredictable. He doesn't know what's going to happen. He doesn't feel like he's got lots of power. He needs to make everyone around him feel like he does, but he never feels like him and Catelyn are at the top of the list. He never stops working and trying to make things happen. You won't see Robb get complacent.

Gwendoline Christie gives her take on her character, the 6'3" master swordswoman Brienne:

"My perception of Brienne is that she's an outsider. She's someone who's been ostracised from society because she doesn't fit in. She's had to develop an outer strength that often matches or supersedes that of any man in order to be treated with equality. She doesn't want to get married. In the novel A Feast For Crows she describes the numerous times her father tried to marry her off: she tells each of her suitors ‘I will marry you if you beat me at sword-fighting,' and every time she manages to win. Yet she's internally romantic.

"The character is so brilliant because it draws up so many issues about gender stereotyping, about equality, and about people's personal prejudice. She's a woman that is amongst men all of the time; she doesn't properly sleep at night because she lives in a constant climate of fear about being raped. Imagine what that must do to a woman – having to maintain one's outer strength for that reason. And she's shouted at, abused, harangued, told she's ugly, mocked and humiliated. But she has an overriding sense of honour and what is right, and that's what makes her such a brilliant character to play: that her outer is so stable and masculine, but inside she's so fragile."

There's plenty more at the link, including how Christie's extensive preparations and training for the role. [SFX]